


Hide Your Bodies

by Eliza_Bella_xx



Category: MCR - Fandom, My Chemical Romance
Genre: AU, M/M, X Men AU, mutant AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-15
Updated: 2016-08-15
Packaged: 2018-08-09 01:08:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7781059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eliza_Bella_xx/pseuds/Eliza_Bella_xx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mutant. Gerard has hated that word his entire life, and he's hated that his beautiful ability is shunned by society. Well, his mother always told him how beautiful he was, anyway.</p><p>But when he's asked to join an academy for people like him, he never thought there could be anyone like him.</p><p>Sitting in the waiting lounge, nervously expecting the rest of his 'class' to arrive, he makes an unlikely friend. As in, it was unlikely that he would make a friend, and that his new friends existence must have been a billion to one.</p><p>---*---</p><p>Title inspired by S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W/ by My Chemical Romance<br/>(Teenage Frerard oneshot, accurate age difference, no smut)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Hide Your Bodies

Fiddling with the sleeves of his ratty black hoodie and considering if he should change the colour of his hair again could only entertain Gerard for so long before he came full circle, back to 'maybe I'll just leave it black'.

Everything was very quiet. If he could, he'd be sat there listening to music like he'd normally do when he was alone, but he'd had his phone and his music player taken from him before he'd come into the room, and there was no radio or CD player in here either, or even a television. The staff had told him that sometimes the electricity could interfere with the people they brought in, and it was for his own safety. Despite the lack of entertainment, the room was supposed to feel homely and comfortable, what with its soft couches and beanbag chairs in bright but stylish colours, and the abstract painting in purples and greens, but the white walls and carpet, and the heavy steel door gave the place a slightly prison-like feel.

Of course, it wasn't a prison, Gerard remembered, it was just secure for their own safety. Because there were still people out there what wanted to hurt people like him. Like them.

He'd never really understood why people would want to hurt him though. It's not like he was dangerous or anything, although he had heard of people like him who were dangerous, even if they didn't mean it.

Until he'd been about ten years old, he'd thought he'd just had a gift, as his Grandma had always told him that he was one of God's chosen ones, and that he was meant for great things. He hadn't needed to hide it so much, as he was home schooled, the same as his little brother, but when he had to go to high school, things got more difficult.

All he wanted was to be ignored, to fly under the radar, but sometimes he'd have... slip-ups, and all eyes would be on him once again. He'd get called a freak, and 'emo' and a fag, which was only because he made the stupid decision to come out as bisexual during their social health class, and he'd try to ignore it, but every once in a while he'd wish that he could just disappear a bit too hard, and he'd have to run and hide from all the questions.

He'd beg his mother to be home schooled again, but she'd insist that school was good for him, that it'd help him learn social interaction and how to survive in the real world, no matter how different he was, and that he needed to stop complaining to set a good example for Mikey.

At least Mikey's 'gift' was easy to hide. Gerard's younger brother had been blessed with an almost completely invisible ability; heat, ultra violet, and night vision, interchangeable with regular vision at will. All one would notice was a slight change in iris colour, which he covered with contact lenses anyway. He was one of the lucky ones. He couldn't slip up and accidentally reveal to everyone around him that he was a mutant.

Mutant. Gerard has hated that word his entire life, and he's hated that his beautiful ability was shunned by society. Well, his mother always told him how beautiful he was, anyway.

School had been near enough to torture for Gerard's liking, so when on his seventeenth birthday a letter had arrived from the government saying that they were 'aware of his mutant status' and that there was somewhere he could go, an academy, for others with mutations like him.

They'd said he could still continue his education, just in a 'secure and nurturing environment' when he could have specially tailored classes on mutation control, helping him to keep his ability under control.

And today, January tenth, was the first day here, as the academy had an odd term time schedule, starting in January rather than September. For the next two years, this place would be his home, learning about the genetic research behind him and 'his kind'.

When he'd arrived that morning, he'd been told to sign in, state his name, age, address, and other basic information along with emergency contacts and ability. The woman behind the desk had seemed a little perplexed when Gerard had been trying to explain his mutation, but when he finally managed to explain, she printed him his academy identification badge, which he was required to wear around his neck on a strap, like VIP passes at concerts, only this was a lot less cool.

Name: Gerard Arthur Way

D.o.B: 04/09/77

Mutation Type(s): Physical – consciously variable

And now, here he was. Sat in what felt like a deceptively cosy holding cell, waiting for his 'class mates' to arrive. Mikey wasn't here with him as he was still only fifteen and wouldn't be offered a place here until he too was seventeen. Gerard was in the South Wing of the academy and would be having regular lessons, such as math, English, and science, with the rest of the South Wing students, but would spend an hour a day with students from all the different Wings with similar mutations to him. He didn't know how many other mutation types there were, or how many other students he'd be sharing his classes with, and he'd be lying if he said he wasn't nervous.

His mother had said that he'd have something in common with all the people there, and that he'd feel more accepted than in regular school. His grandmother had said that it was like a heaven on Earth and that he'd meet other people with gifts from God and that he was to introduce them to her when he could.

That is, if there were any others.

Today was arrivals day, and so far, Gerard was still the only person in the South Wing waiting room. He began to worry, what if he had to have his classes alone? Sleep alone in the dormitory? What if there wasn't even anyone with a mutation like him and he had to have those classes alone too?

Just at that moment, his thoughts were interrupted by yelling out in the corridor. He couldn't see anything through the porthole-like window in the reinforced door, the only entrance and exit to the room, but it clearly wasn't sound proof as he could hear voices plain and clear.

Standing up from the strange green colours couch, he stepped closer to the door to heard the voices better.

"I'm not giving you my fucking bag!" one voice yelled, a low-ish tone of a teenage boy.

"I'm sorry, but you're not allowed to take personal possessions with you until we've officially assessed the susceptibilities of all the residents mutations so as not to pose any risks to you or your class mates!" Gerard recognised that voice as the woman from the sign in desk.

"Look," the boys voice said again, "You can fucking check my bag, check my records on your stupid database, and you'll see that none of this is dangerous!"

"That may be," another voice said, this time sounding like a middle aged man, "but we don't know what might trigger negative reactions in your classmates."

"Well check their fucking records too then! I don't think anyone in there's going to fucking combust from an MP3 and a can of Pepsi."

"Please, calm down," the woman said, "look, we'll allow it this time, seeing as your record is... favourable to our cooperation, but don't get the idea that you're getting special treatment."

"Oh yeah, of course," the boy sassed, "No special treatment for the fourteen year old in a class of seventeen year olds."

Gerard was a little taken aback. The academy was only open to mutants over seventeen, how did this kid get in?

"So, come on then," the boys voice was getting closer, "where are the other freaks then?" The voice got closer and closer to the door, making Gerard realise that he was stood very close and if the boy barged in too quickly, Gerard was going to get hit in the face with four and a half inches of reinforced steel.

Just as he thought this, the boy came into view from down the corridor and did, indeed, open to door very fast, making Gerard almost jump backwards. Unfortunately, the bottom to the door caught his ankle as it swung over, knocking his foot out from under him and toppling him sideways.

"Son of a... shit!" Gerard gasped, laying on the floor, holding his Converse clad foot.

"Oh, just the one?" the boy said, quickly stepping around Gerard as though he were just one of the beanbags dotted around the room, not giving the boy in the floor even a second to look at his new classmate.

"Yes, the others haven't arrived yet," Gerard looked up to see the woman from the desk standing in the doorway, looking suitably pissed off in the direction of the younger boy, "Frank, this is Gerard. Gerard, this is your classmate, Frank. If you need me, I'll be at the desk. Don't leave the room, use the intercom if you need me."

The woman walked out of the room, muttering obscenities about the younger boy to herself, while Gerard double checked his foot and clambered back to his feet, dusting off his faded blue jeans and looking at his new classmate properly, as he'd been more concerned with the pain in his foot when the boy had first entered.

And what a boy he was.

Gerard wasn't especially tall himself, but this boy was even shorter, looking both older and younger than he really was. He was wearing black jeans which seemed either too small, or just a little too tight, showing the shape of his athletic-looking calves and slim thighs. His hips seemed fairly slim, but were covered by an oversized hoodie similar to Gerard's in all ways but the zip, which was a bright shade of red rather than Gerard's plain black. His hair too was black, short at the sides but longer on top and in the front, fringe hanging in his face and covering one of his eyes. His bright, almost glowing, amber and brandy coloured eyes, full of life and both curious and knowing at the same time. A small smirk played on his smooth looking pink lips, twitching beneath a perfect button nose, all set in a smooth jawed, pale face, young an innocent if it weren't for the smudges of black around those bright eyes and the mischief in the smirk. There was no denying, despite the age difference, this boy was attractive in Gerard's eyes. Very attractive, though Gerard couldn't keep hold of those thoughts if he was to be spending the next two years with this boy.

"So," the boy, Frank, said, with a thick Jersey accent like Gerard's, dropping his rucksack "You're my new classmate?"

"Uh-huh, seems like it," Gerard said, rubbing his clammy hands nervously on his jeans, before holding his right outstretched for Frank to shake, "I'm Gerard."

"Yeah, I know," Frank said, still with a smirk, reaching out and shaking Gerard's hand briefly, "Angela said."

"Angela? Oh, oh... the desk clerk. Right." Gerard replied, tucking his hand back into his jeans pocket, bobbing a little on the balls of his feet, "So..."

"So, you show me yours and I'll show you mine?" Frank asked casually, throwing himself down on the couch where Gerard had been sat not to minutes ago and stretching out, almost taking up the full length.

"Excuse me, what?" Gerard frowned, somewhat taken aback by the question, yet stepping closer to the boy lounging on the furniture.

"Show me your mutation? Like, if we're going to be classmates, we might as well get the stupid formalities out of the way." The boy sat up, looking at Gerard as though it were the most obvious request in the world, not thinking that Gerard would only have heard the innuendo.

"Oh, um... right..." Gerard shifted nervously from foot to foot on the spot; he'd never shown another person outside of his family the full extent of his ability. He'd only ever used it at home, annoying Mikey during hide-and-seek, and to show off to his grandmother. People at school had only ever caught him messing around with it by accident, or when he'd just wanted to disappear and nearly had.

Actually showing a near stranger was an alien concept to him, but Gerard guessed that if he was going to be spending the next two years with this kid, they'd have to be honest. After all, they were only here because of their mutations.

"Okay, uh... It'll work better if I take off my shirt..." Gerard said somewhat awkwardly, "Is that, uh... alright?"

"Hey, 's more than I bargained for but I'll have to do the same, so I guess it'll make us equal," Frank chirped, shrugging again, "Come on then. Off."

Gerard started to remove his hoodie, thinking what Frank's mutation might be that meant he'd have to remove his shirt. Gerard didn't have to remove his shirt; it'd just look better that way really. Dropping the hoodie to the floor, he quickly pulled his black t-shirt over his head and, self-consciously folding his arms over his chest, walked over to the red couch opposite the green one on which Frank sat, and stood on the cushions. Leaning back against the wall, his head rested on the purple and turquoise painting, knowing it would make for something impressive.

Pressing his back against the wall, arms and hands flat against the cool painted plaster and eyes closed, Gerard let that same old melting sensation creep over him, like his skin was being replaced with a wash of lukewarm water, flowing from the wall almost.

Opening his eyes again, he saw Frank looking up at him almost in wonder, and he knew exactly why.

"Holy shit! Dude, you're like a fucking chameleon!" Frank exclaimed, bounding across the room and jumping up onto the couch beside Gerard, jolting the cushions a little.

"Whoa, hey... watch it, you'll ruin the illusion." Gerard grumble, wanting to swat Frank away, but knowing that that too would ruin the camouflage effect.

Without even looking at himself, Gerard knew he'd blended himself to the wall, his torso the same white as the wall, his shoulders, neck and face blended perfectly to the painting behind him.

"Are you like a chameleon, or are you, like, transparent?" Frank asked, surveying Gerard's torso and face, marvelling at the perfect hues he'd mimicked.

"Nah, I've always called it Chameleonism. It was pretty cool when I was younger. You know, for, like, Hide-and-Seek and stuff." Gerard started to move away from the wall, his skin changing back with another melting sensation, like wax, almost. Just as he made to step completely away from the wall and back onto the floor, but was stopped by a hand on his bare shoulder. He looked left to Frank, who was watching the last of the purple fade from his collar bone.

"What?" Gerard asked, though it wasn't like he hadn't had people stare at him before.

"Show me again?" Frank was still watching his shoulder, but his gaze flickered up to look Gerard in the eyes. Now Gerard noticed, in amongst the burning umber of Frank's eyes, tiny flecks of emerald and gold woven into the tiny threads of pigment in his irises.

"Um, why?" Gerard asked, still examining Frank's eyes, as though looking for some hint at his mutation, or ability, not even thinking to glance at the boys ID badge.

"'Cause, I want to see your skin change up close, see if it's like scales, or like one of those colour change lamps or whatever."

"Right, uh... okay," Gerard stepped back against the wall and shut his eyes again, still feeling Frank very close to him, feeling the very faint tickle of his breath on his bare shoulder, and let the warm melting feeling wash over him again. He heard Frank take a small gasp and had to open his eyes, watching Frank carefully as he felt the colours seep across his skin.

"Whoa..." the younger boy breathed, crouching a little to look at the white bleeding over Gerard's chest, then standing back up to look at the purple on his neck.

"Dude... It's like when you drop ink in water and it just spreads... have you ever looked at yourself doing this properly?" Frank said very close to Gerard's bare shoulder again, his warm breath spreading a pleasant sensation over his skin as his cool finger tips ghosted over Gerard's neck.

"Um, n-not really..." Gerard shrugged, swallowing the lump in his throat, still watching Frank as he stared at his skin, "I mean, I mess around with my hair sometimes, but I have to have nail varnish for that."

"So, wait, you can do that?" Frank straightened up, moving his hand away from Gerard's neck and watching the older boy curiously.

Gerard nodded, smiling a little as he jumped down from the couch, his skin returning to its usual pale fleshy hue, picking up his t-shirt from the floor and pulling it back over his head, "Uh-huh. Because it's a chameleon thing, and hair and nails are made of the same thing, if I paint one of my nails a certain colour, I can use my ability to change my hair colour. See," Gerard held out his left hand, showing off his black pinky fingernail, "That's why it's black at the moment. It's naturally brown, but I think I might go red next, I do' know though."

"Seriously? You can do that?" Gerard bent down to pick up his hoodie and sat band on the green couch, Frank hurrying over to sit beside him.

"Yep, look," He held up his ID badge for Frank to see, repeating what it said, "'Physical, consciously variable', that means I can control it myself. Although sometimes I do it without noticing, like, if people are being dicks and I just want to disappear... Sometimes I actually do."

"Oh... that must be awkward if they catch you just... vanishing." Frank wiggled his fingers at Gerard, as though doing to would make Gerard's camouflage kick in.

"Yeah, it is a bit. I've had a few near misses and I ended up almost begging to be homeschooled again, but my mom refused. That's why I'm grateful for this place. Somewhere I can be me, I guess."

"I've never met anyone with a kind of... controllable body mutation before. Well, I'm not sure I've met anyone with our kind of abilities before ever."

"Oh, I have," Gerard piped up, happily letting the conversation flow, "I have a brother. He's got a mutation too. It's like... He can see heat and ultraviolet light, and he has night vision. It was weird at first because you can't see that he has it, but he started picking up on all these things and he learned to control it. I remember when he was really little he'd start seeing in night-vision during the day and he just couldn't see anything.."

"Whoa, that's crazy! How old is he?"

"Fifteen, so he can't come here yet... which reminds me, why're you here? I heard you say you're only fourteen."

"Oh, yeah," Frank looked away, smirking to himself again like he had a secret, which, in a way, he did, "My mutations make me... A bit of a liability."

"Are you one of those kids who use their ability to fuck around with people all the time?" Gerard raised an accusing eyebrow, which only make Frank grin mischievously and look away.

"Maybe I am, maybe I'm not... Maybe I'm just super dangerous, you never know!"

"Hey, come on, I showed you my mutation, you show me yours! That's the deal we made."

"Ugh, don't I get to be all cool and mysterious?" he laughed, standing up none the less and removing his oversized hoodie, and revealing a slightly too-big white t-shirt. He carefully removed his ID badge from around his neck, and put it on top of the hoodie.

"May I..?" Gerard asked, pointing to the badge.

"Uh, wha- Oh yeah, sure." Frank nodded, untucking the front of his t-shirt from his too-tight jeans. Gerard picked up the badge and read the information printed on it, along with a standard passport style photo of Frank.

Name: Frank Anthony Iero

D.o.B: 10/31/81

Mutation Type(s): Physical – permanent additional; Inter-psyche astral projection

"Whoa, what the hell kind of mutations do you ha-"

Gerard's words were cut off as he saw Frank had removed his shirt, and was now stood in what could only be described by Gerard as a corset. Frank obviously caught Gerard staring and understood why; it probably wasn't the first time he'd had to explain.

"It's a fucking binder, okay? If I don't wear this, I can't wear normal clothes."

"Oh, right..." Gerard nodded in understanding, eyeing Frank as he unlaced the leather-look binder, bending and twisting his back a little as he did so. A few seconds later, once all the lace had been undone, the binder dropped to the floor, and Frank breathed a sigh of relief.

"Jesus fuck, that things really restricts my breathing, you know... ugh!" Frank stretched out his arms, twisting his back a little again.

This time, however, as he did so, two large, black and red feathered limbs twitched and flexed against Frank's back, before extending themselves in the same way he had done his arms. They carried on stretching themselves out, until the tips of the feathers were quivering a little as Frank's muscles adjusted to having them at full span, which must have been close to two metres. Gerard was awestruck, and was left simply gaping at the wings.

Frank finished his stretch and looked back at Gerard, smirking.

"You like what you see?" Frank laughed raising his wings, looking like some kind of fallen angel, "Impressive, huh?"

"They, uh... Yeah... Just..." Gerard couldn't string his words together, he was in shock, "Fucking... Wow. Just, wow." If Gerard hadn't considered Frank attractive before, he most certainly did now. It was as though they enhanced his look looks.

"What, me or my wings?" Frank laughed, flapping a little, ruffling his feathers before folding them comfortably against his back again.

"Oh, shut up," Gerard huffed, half serious, half laughing, unsure of whether Frank was being serious or not, "are they naturally that colour?"

"Nope, they're naturally pure white," Frank smiled, turning around and spreading his wings again, showing off the back plumage, "I think I've got some new feathers coming through. I used dye on them, it's so boring otherwise."

"What the fuck is boring about wings? These are just... fuck, they're beautiful..." Gerard exclaimed, standing up and surveying the impressive wingspan. Frank was correct; there were a few small downy feathers peaking through the black and red, which looked as though it was supposed to be in streaks, but was a little patchy in places.

"Um, thanks, I guess..." Frank laughed, sounding a little nervous at Gerard's opinion, "but I've had these all my life, and it got to a point where I needed to... jazz them up a bit. I managed to get my mum to get me dye them using temporary hair dye, but recently she thinks they're getting too damaged and I've had to dye them myself."

"They're not getting damaged though, are they?" Gerard asked, genuinely concerned for the condition of the luxurious feathers.

"No, it's not the dye," Frank grumbled, his feathers quivering a little, "it's because I have to wear the binder to school and I get cramps. It's a fucking nightmare, that's why I started not wearing it."

"Oh... is that why you're a liability?" Gerard asked, as Frank turned back around, ruffling his wings again and smirking that same mischievous smile.

"Yep," he said, popping the 'p', "people at school saw them and everything, but I tried to wipe their memories."

"Oh, is that the other bit of your mutations, the psyche projection thingy..."

"Inter-psyche astral projection, yeah." Frank nodded, as though Gerard would know exactly what that was. Frank, still shirtless, his curiously pale chest drawing Gerard's gaze, sat down on the green couch next to the older boy, stretching his wings a little; one of the arm of the couch, another out along the back and almost behind Gerard.

"What does that even mean?" Gerard asked, sitting back and watching Frank wing twitch out of the way when he accidentally brushed the feathers.

"It means I can project my own image or thoughts into someone else's mind, creating false thoughts and memories, and even inducing a dream-like state." It sounded as though he'd rehearsed those lines over and over, or simply knew them from years of repetition.

"That's fucking awesome. You can make people have visions, like some kind of..." Gerard paused before speaking, having a sudden realisation, "Dude, you're literally a fucking angel-"

"Yeah, yeah, I've heard it all before," Frank huffed, folding his arms as his wings quivered again, "Doesn't really help that my family's deeply religious and I've had to go to catholic school most of my life, does it? I've been fucking Angel Boy since the day the feathers started sprouting." Frank seemed rather pissed off, folding his slim pale arms across his equally pale chest.

"So you weren't born with wings?"

"Oh, no... I was, but the doctors thought I'd absorbed my twin in the womb and I just had extra limbs on my back," he shrugged nonchalantly, "But there was no twin, I just have wings. The feathers started growing when I was about two years old... around the same time that toddlers lose that really fine baby hair? So... yeah. I've been my mother's 'Angel Boy' ever since."

"Damn," Gerard sighed shaking his head a little, though still watching to sneak glances at the pure expanse of pale pink skin, covering Frank's bones and muscles and flesh like brushed silk, "Well, I guess everything comes with some kind of irony."

"What do you mean?" Frank asked gently flicking his wings out before folding them back against his back, tucked up so he didn't damage the longer feathers.

"Well, you come from a deeply religious family, and you essentially have the abilities of an angel, and I've spent the last seven years of my life wanting to disappear, when, sometimes, I wish too hard and actually start fading into the lockers at school."

"Yeah, that and the fact I'm atheist and hella gay." Frank laughed. This struck Gerard as a bit of an odd thing to suddenly announce, and wasn't sure if Frank was being entirely serious. But he didn't have time to contemplate that thought for too long as Frank carried on speaking, "Why'd you want to hide though? You seem like a cool guy, you don't seem rude, and you trusted me enough to half strip and merge with the wall in front of me," Frank chuckled at the last bit, causing Gerard to tug on the hem of his t-shirt a little, making sure it covered his stomach, not clinging to any of the fat rolls he felt he had, "Why'd you want to hide?"

"You know in films, set in high schools, there's always that token art freak? You know, like, the goth who hates everything and sits at the back of the class carving pentagrams into the desk with a pocketknife? Well, that's like me- only I don't hate everything! And I don't carry a knife!" Gerard held up his hands, clarifying that he wasn't a token freak. He sighed and started playing with a loose thread on his jeans, "I'm the artsy kid who'd rather sit alone, drawing vampires and listening to Metallica, than get involved with the group projects."

"I guess we have a lot on common though, only I prefer writing guitar music and listening to Misfits," Frank gently bumped his bare shoulder with Gerard's covered one, laughing a little, "Plus I have fucking angel wings, so... whatever. It doesn't really fit with the vibe I'm going for, you know?" He laughed again, and Gerard found it infectious.

"If it's any consolation, I like your wings." Gerard said quietly, almost shy.

"See, you say that, but you wouldn't want them," Frank shook a finger at the older boy, "They're a fucking nightmare in the shower, and you know bed hair? Well think bed-feathers. They're not designed for sleeping with, and the feathers get bent out of shape, so I haven't been flying since I was about ten."

"You can actually fly with those things?" Gerard perked up, letting his eyes wander over Frank a little more freely now.

"Uh-huh, but I don't know if they'd hold me now..."

"Could... Um, could you maybe show me?" Gerard asked, nervous for no apparent reason.

"Well, I can't actually show you in here," Frank shrugged, looking at the floor, "I need a kind of run up, you know? But, I could always share a memory?"

"You'd... You'd actually do that?" Gerard frowned a little, puzzled as to when Frank would offer to share something so personal.

"Yeah, it's all part of the psyche projection thing I do," Frank smiled, looking rather pleased at the notion of his ability, "Do you want me too?"

"Uh, yeah, sure... Do I need to do anything, or, do you, just like-"

"Shush, okay," Frank laughed turning in his seat a little and tucking on leg underneath him, facing Gerard, "Turn to look at me."

Gerard did as he was told, and turned to look the younger boy in the face, still intrigued by the brightness of his irises. Frank suddenly grabbed bother sides of his face and scooted a little closer, creating a small swoop in the pit of Gerard's stomach which made his swallow hard. Frank kept a hold of the sides of his face, carefully steadying his head and looking him straight in the eyes.

"Right, all you need to do, is clear your mind and look into my eyes." Frank let his hands linger at the sides of Gerard's face, brushing the soft skin of his cheek bones ever so slightly, making Gerard shiver. He looked into the younger boys eyes, and for a moment all he saw was the deep golden galaxies of Frank's eyes, until the edges of his vision began to blur and a slightly different scene began to take over.

Gerard could see a garden, bright green grass, neat hedges around the edges in front of a high wooden fence. At one end of the garden were a house and a young woman in a simple blue summer dress, a few shades lighter than the clear blue sky above the scene. At the other end, was a small boy, no older than maybe nine years old, with dark, messy hair and no shirt. Instead there were two small white wings protruding from his back, stretching out further than his arms would if he were to stretch them out. The look on the little boys face was one of mild annoyance and a little fear.

"Come on, Frankie," The woman said, dark brown curls bobbing and she bent down a little, speaking to the boy, "We've done this before, you can do it. I'm here to catch you sweetie, don't worry."

The boy fidgeted on the spot a little, before taking a few steps backwards and starting to fun towards his mother, his small snowy wings beating a little, stretching right the way out, tip pointed as half way down the garden, he leapt forwards, as though about to dive into a pool.

Only, gravity didn't have an effect on him, as when he leapt, his wings angled themselves and he swooped through the air for a moment, before the wings started flapping somewhat frantically. Almost like a miracle, the small boy carried on rising, wings catching on the air and elevating him to an open window on the second floor of the house.

The little boy had actually flown! He had flown into the window and disappeared inside the house, leaving the mother laughing and bouncing a little in joy, before she turned around and made to walk back inside the house, but was stopped when the little boy came soaring back out into the garden from the back door. He tried to land smoothly on the grass but instead tripped and tumbled into a heap on the ground, wings a little crumpled.

Suddenly, the vision started blurring at the edges again, and Gerard found himself staring back into Frank's eyes, though the look on his face was no longer one of relaxed concentration, but more one of annoyance.

"You alright?" Gerard ask, putting and hand out to touch Frank's shoulder before he could stop himself,

"Yeah, I just, ah!" Frank jumped up from the couch and walked half way across the room, wings flexing and flapping ridiculously, "Aah, fuck!"

"What? What's wrong?" Gerard jumped up worriedly and approached Frank, but kept a sensible distance, as his wings were still flapping wildly.

"I got cramp, sorry!" Frank replied, his back to Gerard. He was rolling his shoulders, the blade bones shifting under his skin along with his wing joints, the smallest of perfect, pure white feathers scattered around and between where the extra limbs met his back.

"Oh," Gerard said, still frowning, watching the feathers twitch around the base of the wings, "Is there, like... anything I can do to help?"

"Um, er..." Frank was twisting and contorting his back a little, trying to stretch the muscles, "This is gonna sound so weird, but if you could, like... Grab the base of the wings, and then, like dig your thumbs into the space between? Is that weird?" Frank sounded nervous, as though he didn't really want someone touching his wings.

"No, no... it's fine, I, uh... I can do that," Gerard said, stepping forwards and feeling the soft breeze created by Frank's pass over his bare arms.

"Just don't pull them or anything!" Frank warned, "It's like when you try to do the splits, but can't, and it hurts... only, it's in the middle of my back."

Gerard nodded, muttering a small, "Okay," before he cautiously reached out and laid his hands on the base of Frank's wings, feeling the soft cushioning of the feathers, and underneath, almost solid bone. He wrapped his fingers around, careful not to bend any of the feathers, and pressed his thumbs into the space between, close to Frank's spine.

"Th-there?" Gerard asked, not pressing too hard in case it made things worse.

"Yeah, um, just... press down between the wings joints and my spine, and just... make small circles."

"Like this?" Gerard asked, as he began rubbing the muscles beneath the skin, feeling the tenseness dissipating at his touch.

"Yeah, like... That..." Frank said, sounding as though Gerard was doing something right, groaning a little as he spoke, sending that same swooping feeling through his stomach. Gerard pressed a little harder into the joint, and Frank's wings completely flopped with a grunt from the boy.

"Right there... fuck!" Frank shivered, his limp wings quivering, feathers ruffling as he slumped a little, head rolling forwards. Gerard wasn't sure what to do, so he stopped moving his thumbs, still keeping a gentle hold of Frank's wings, enjoying the feel of the warm feathers under his fingers.

"Um, sorry if that was weird," Frank said quietly, "I just get really bad cramps, and I can't reach to get them properly and... I guess the human body really isn't designed to carry wings, eh?" he laughed nervously, half tilting his head to look over his shoulder.

"Yeah, I guess not..." Gerard replied, brushing his fingertips over the tiny downy feathers.

"I mean, I've get a whole different muscle structure to support them, and a weird extra joint on my shoulder blades, but they're still kind of heavy. I thought about having all the feathers clipped anyway, see if that makes a difference."

"Don't do that..." Gerard muttered, now completely absent mindedly stroking Frank's feathers,

"Huh, what?" Frank asked, folding his wings up against his back and turning to face Gerard. Unfortunately, neither one of the boys had stepped backwards, and they were left standing chest to bare chest, awkwardly close.

"Don't... Don't cut your wings." Gerard said again, still fairly quietly

"Why not? They're my wings and they're a fucking nightmare."

"Well you're at the academy now, people here can help you out with stuff, and you could even learn to fly again?"

"As if," Frank shook his head, looking away and moving to sit back on the couch, "I haven't flown for about four years, and they way the muscles keep cramping, I'm not going to be flying again anytime soon, so there wouldn't be much point going to the physical mutat-"

"Look Frank, we're here so we can learn to use our mutations properly and to the best of our abilities," Gerard sighed, "and your abilities are... pretty fucking amazing. All you need to do probably is work out your wings and build the muscles. Then they won't cramp, and you can relearn flying! Just... don't cut your wings."

"What is it with you and my wings?" Frank asked, frowning again and shaking his head, "Like, they're the lamest mutation I've ever heard of."

"I don' know... I guess," Gerard shrugged, "Maybe it's something to do with what my grandma calls mutations."

"What? Is she nasty about them?"

"No, no... She, uh, she calls them 'God's Gift', and that me and my brother have been blessed. And that, because there would be so many people with 'gifts from God' here, it would be like some kind of heaven on Earth." Gerard frowned at his hands, clasped together on his knees, "I think she's got some kind of dementia, but she still remembers who everyone is. She's always been a bit nuts anyway."

"Your grandma sounds awesome," Frank smiled, nudging Gerard's knee with his own, "So... is that why you like my wings so much? 'Cause your mum calls us 'God's gifts' and I'm like an angel?"

"Maybe... But your wings are just... stunning. They're seriously... Okay, they're just beautiful. It's not every day that you get to meet someone with wings." He still didn't look up, and worried about what Frank's reaction might be.

"Do you want to touch them?" Frank asked, Gerard's head shooting up at the questions, "Like, properly, not just the joints?"

"Could I? Would you be alright with that?"

"Sure... I mean, I kind of like people touching my wings. It's like when people play with your hair or something... It's nice."

Frank stood up and turned his back to Gerard and spread his wings a little, the joint half way down flexing a little and the longest of the feathers fanning themselves out a little.

"Come on, you're not going to hurt me or anything." Frank laughed, looking over his shoulder to Gerard, who didn't quite know why he had stayed sat on the couch, staring the Frank's wings. He stood up and stepped forwards a little, before laying his hands on the bony edge of the feathered limbs, near the back joint, before gently sliding his hands along the full length, or as far as he could reach, feeling the tiny feathers almost ripple beneath his fingers before springing back. Most of the colour here was black, a few tiny white feathers peeking through the dark layer from where some had fallen out and been replaced. Each one was like a petal of silk, curved and unique, yet there were all so uniform, fitting together and layering to form sleek, weightless cushioning over Frank's bones.

The longer feathers were more red and grey than the smaller ones, fanning out and giving shape, the tips both pointed and curved at the same time, again impeccably layered. As Gerard stroked down and across, Frank's wings extended, the tips pointing outwards and arching almost perfectly. Gerard continued to run his fingertips ever so gently over the longest of the feathers, palms over the bones, and the back of his hands over the full span, making Frank shiver.

"They're just... they're so soft..." Gerard almost whispered, his breath blowing on Frank's bare back, causing the younger boy to shiver again, "Do you, like... use special conditioner or something?"

Gerard froze at his own words, realising almost immediately how much of a weird and stupid question that was. He mentally slapped himself, scrunching his face up in embarrassment, though thankfully, Frank didn't turn to look at him. He did laugh however, his wings flexing a little as Gerard continued to stroke them, masking his feelings of awkwardness.

"Well, um... I've never been asked that before, but my mum's cousin works at a veterinary practice and she... Well, you know when birds get involved in oil spills and stuff?"

"Yeah..." Gerard murmured back, still rather transfixed with Frank's wings,

"Well, she got me some of that shampoo."

"Wait," Gerard paused, "You use bird shampoo?"

"Yes, because I have fucking bird wings, in case you hadn't noticed, asshole." Frank sniped, although Gerard could hear the humour in his voice.

"Well... anyway, they're really soft," Gerard murmured again, running one fingertip down the length of the bones, making Frank shiver once again, the feathers twitching as he did so. Suddenly, Frank turned around, folding is wings in so that he didn't knock Gerard over, and faced the older boy, tilting his face up slightly to look him in the eyes.

"I have some really downy feathers you know... Really soft..." Frank was speaking very quietly now, barely above a mumble, though Gerard assumed that it was just because of the proximity.

"Can I feel them? Or... i-is that weird?" Gerard said, just as quietly, gaze switching between Frank's eyes, sure that he probably looked a little odd in doing so. It was being this close that allowed Gerard to notice the tiny little marks and defining features of his face, such as the tiny scar above his nose, the perfect arch of his eyebrows, every single thick, dark eyelash, twitching on his eyelids as his eyes flickered around Gerard's face.

"Urm... yeah, sure." Frank seemed sure about his words, but they were tainted with slight nervousness. He reached down and took hold of Gerard's hands, bringing them forwards and round himself, Gerard resting them on his bare back, just at the join of his wings to his back. Frank moved his hands from around Gerard's and rested them instead on the older boys shoulders, looking up at him, eyes wide and sparkling.

"Just under the crease of the bone, just where they join my back..." Frank said quietly, watching Gerard's face as he started to move his hands, fingers gliding across the silken feathers, feeling across Frank's wing bones until he felt the warm skin on his hands again. Unsure of where to look as he did so, Gerard decided to look Frank in the eyes, which then faced him with the issues of have a pair of the brightest, most beautiful hazel eyes he'd ever seen looking up at him, almost into his soul. Into his heart.

As though to illustrate the point that his mind had made of its own accord, Gerard's heart sped up a little and his stomach swooped again as his fingertips found an almost air-like patch of feathers, right in what one would assume to be the most vulnerable part of Frank's wings. It was impossibly soft, the kind of think one could nuzzle against and sleep soundly. No scratching stiffness like the other feathers, just... fluff. Like a dandelion clock.

"Soft, isn't it?" Frank said, his voice equally as soft as the feathers, eyes wide as they watched Gerard's face for a reaction.

"Y-yeah... they really are..." Gerard breathed.

"They're actually down feathers," he explained, voice still gently as Gerard caressed the feathers, "They're the same kind that mother ducks put in their nests to keep their chicks warm."

"That's, um... interesting." Gerard said, very consciously aware of how Frank's hands were sliding closer to his neck from his shoulders now, and how there was an odd, far-away look in Frank's eyes.

Before he quite knew what was happening, Gerard felt Frank's chest pressed against his a little, as Frank's eyes seemed to get larger, brighter... No, not larger. Closer.

He felt slight pressure on his shoulders as Frank raised himself up a little on his tip toes, eyes wide and almost scared. Gerard himself felt a little scared, his brain not entirely able to process what was going on until the last moment.

His eyes shut slowly, as he wanted to watch Frank's face for as long as he could, they way his eyelids looked as though they were dusted with rose gold, the lilac shadows beneath making Gerard think he hadn't had enough sleep, but that the way it brightened the tiny flecks of green in his eyes made him look almost pretty. Only when his dark eyelashes fluttered completely shut did Gerard allow his eyes to do the same, feeling Frank's breath ghost over his lips, the same way it had on his shoulder not ten minutes earlier. Now with his eyes shut, his other senses went into overdrive for a second; the sound of the blood pounding in his ears, Frank's breathing inches from his face; the feeling of Frank's wings quivering, chest rising and falling against his own, and then, his lips.

Gerard remembered how he'd learnt that certain chemicals and pheromones help one find their lover's lips in the dark, or even if they're totally blind. It was something built into a person's biology, in the same way animals release scents to attract their mate. Now, these chemicals were guiding Gerard's lips to Frank's, as though it were the most natural thing in the world. And to Gerard, for one brief moment, it seemed to be the most natural thing for two people who were so unnatural in themselves.

One kiss. One pucker and brush of their lips. The slight tug as they pulled back again. The lingering sensation, like the softest of pinpricks across his lips. The swoop of their insides and the thudding of their hearts. That was enough for them.

Gerard pulled away, standing up straight again and opening his eyes, senses returning to normal as he looked down at Frank, though that made his heart flutter again. Frank's eyes were still closed, though he looked almost dazed and worried as they fluttered back open. He looked up at Gerard, whose fingers were still brushing through the softest of Frank's feathers and immediately looked away again, cheeks reddening as he stepped backwards, Gerard's hands falling back to his sides.

"Can, um... c-can you help me get my, uh, binder... back on?" Frank said quietly, looking around for said binder, before spotting it on the floor and scurrying over, picking it up and shyly holding it out to Gerard.

"Why?" Gerard asked, just as quietly, sensing that Frank was feeling awkward. Really, that was understandable; they barely knew each other and they'd just kissed, completely out of the blue.

"'cause, I can't get my shirt back on with these out," Frank said, sounding disgruntled as he jabbed a thumb over this shoulder to his wings.

"Why, are you cold?" Gerard took the binder from Frank's hands, though made no move to help Frank put it on. Nor did Frank.

"No, I just... I feel stupid..." His words trailed off, and Gerard recognised the way Frank was acting, having acted the exact same way when he'd tried to ask the girl he liked to junior prom. Frank just wanted to run somewhere and hide, and probably tell himself over and over how stupid he was.

"Hey, don't feel stupid," Gerard put down the binder on the couch, and sat down, kicking off his shoes quickly and folding his legs beneath him, "I don't mind of you're not wearing a shirt."

"It's not... I just..." frank stammered, words seeming to fail him, "I'm... I'm sorry for, you know... kissing you-"

"Don't be sorry." Gerard said quickly, "I... I kind of liked it."

Frank didn't say anything. He looked quickly at Gerard, and then sat down on the other side of the couch.

"I did kiss back, didn't I?" Gerard said, laughing a little.

"I'm still sorry," frank said quietly, shaking his head and tugging on his fringe a little, before tucking it behind his ear.

Gerard decided to take some action and grow some balls for once in his life. He leaned across the space between him and Frank, supporting himself on his hand, and placed a soft kiss on Frank's cheek. The younger boy looked at him in shock for a moment as he pulled away, but smiled softly blushing and looking down at his own hands.

"So," Gerard said, smiling at Frank as he sat back in his place, "You said you like the Misfits?"

"Uh, yeah. They're like, my favourite band..." Frank said, still smiling, still looking at his hands, "Well, apart from maybe Black Flag. They're both pretty good,"

"Yeah, I really like them too," Gerard smiled, making himself comfortable on the couch cushions, happy to see that Frank was relaxing a little more.

"What do you listen to?" Frank asked, looking up finally and seeming a little dazed still, "Like, apart from Metalica?"

The conversation went back and forth like this for the rest of the time there were in the room, waiting for their other classmates to arrive. They had a lot more in common that Gerard realised, though Frank was perhaps a little more 'punk' than him.

As it turned out, there were only three others, all of whom were girls, meaning it was just going to be Frank and Gerard sharing the South Wing dormitory. The girls joined in the conversation about music, then about their mutations, the five of them sharing stories about how their mutations had gotten them in trouble (the most impressive coming from one girl whose 'physical – unfixed elemental' mutation of fire shooting coughs and sneezes nearly burnt down her school when she was seven).

As soon as the staff were sure all the South Wing students had arrived, they were lead away to their respective dorms.

Knowing that Gerard would only be sharing with Frank made him a little calmer, feeling that Frank really wasn't much of a stranger any more. He couldn't wait to tell his grandmother that he had met someone who was truly an angel

Perhaps this place really was going to be good for him. So long as Frank was around, Gerard couldn't see a downside to anything.


End file.
